NPR's Shots

Louisiana health officials say that anyone who's been in an Ebola-affected country over the last three weeks will be quarantined in their hotel rooms. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is telling researchers who've recently traveled to Ebola-affected parts of West Africa that they can't come to the society's annual meeting. That wasn't the medical group's idea.

Global Post

Researchers in Tanzania said this week they have made strides in developing an important research tool that they hope will significantly contribute to developing anti-malarial drugs and vaccines suited to the African population.

Humanosphere

Children in sub-Saharan Africa who suffer from diarrhea are receiving lifesaving treatment at a lower rate when visiting private hospitals as compared to public ones. Closing that gap would save an estimated 20,000 lives each year.

News @ JAMA

Although oral rehydration can mean the difference between life and death for children with diarrheal illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa, a new study suggests that for-profit clinics may be more likely than large public hospitals to prescribe expensive treatments instead.

CBS News

The economic impact of West Nile virus is much greater than originally thought, according to a new study. A CDC report finds that since it was first detected in the United States in 1999, the mosquito-borne disease has cost the country some $778 million. Past studies looked only at initial hospitalizations and treatments, but the new report also factored in long-term loss of productivity and other extended health care needs of those infected, like repeat doctor visits and medications.

Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a study today estimate that hospitalized cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in the United States since the disease was introduced in 1999 have cost $778 million in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

History Channel

During the Middle Ages, the rodent-borne bubonic plague (or the “Black Death,” as it was known) arrived on European shores aboard merchant ships from Asia and spread quickly, eventually killing more than 20 million people. Modern medicine and improved hygiene standards virtually eradicated the disease in Europe and a large section of the world--but have not eliminated it completely. Last week, at least 20 people in a northwestern village of Madagascar died of the disease, marking one of the worst outbreaks in recent years.

New Scientist

BACTERIA used in Japanese food have cured hookworm infections – at least in hamsters. Two billion people around the world are infected with parasitic worms, or helminths, which are found in the soil. The drugs used to treat them were developed to treat parasites in farm animals.

Healio - Infectious Disease News

The Plasmodium vivax parasite appears to be rapidly evolving to overcome resistance conferred by a specific blood type found among millions of people in Africa, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.